Early evening, 7 November. D-Day minus 1.
More than 500 paratroopers from the 509th
took off from Land's End, England, headed to their
objectives - Algerian airfields, a ten hour flight away.
Word was they could safely land because the French
had promised a friendly reception. Still, no one was
foolish enough to actually count on any outcome
being this favorable.
Paratroopers were trained to jump, then fight.
The 509th would do both, as needed.
Marshal Petain made a pact with the devil.
He would support Hitler in return for the Fuhrer's
promise not to invade southern France.
Petain killed the Kumbaya feeling that was
negotiated by Allied and Vichy leaders in North Africa.
His decision was clear. Open fire on every American
that chose to invade them.
Ike was told of this dangerous turn of events
and passed it along to the troops. Any hostile
action taken against the Allies would be met
with overwhelming lethal force.
The message was sent in code to the
C-47 Skytrain currently lumbering over Spain.
"Play Ball ... " // "Play Ball ... " // "Play Ball ... "
No response. No confirmation of message received.
The phrase Play Ball was repeated time and again.
The operator heard only the hiss of dead air in return.
They were broadcasting on the wrong frequency.
Someone got the number mixed up.
The warning was never heard.
It was a screw-up worthy of FUBAR distinction.
Naturally, Gibraltar was wondering:
What happened to the 509?
Maybe they were shot down over Fascist Spain.
That sounds horribly drastic but it was a concern.
Actually, all 39 C-47s were fine, except for
the fact they were lost. They couldn't even
find each other. Blame it on inexperience.
Try navigating at night in heavy rain.
So as morning sun rose over the Mediterranean,
C-47 pilots everywhere were wondering if the fast
approaching coastline was that of Morocco or
Algeria or possibly southern France.
running out of fuel. Their search for safe landing
met with varied success. One plane landed amid
angry Moroccan tribesmen. Some landed among
friends while others were taken prisoner as they
stepped off the plane into Vichy troops, greeting
them with guns. A number of casualties occurred
when French fighters strafed a group of three C-47s.
Most flights had lonely landings in some destitute
place that was far from where they needed to be.
The American airborne operation experienced
the setbacks one might expect from an ambitious,
first time effort. They improvised. They managed.
They adapted and made the best of it.
The good news was the French were the enemy.
Your friends. They weren't out for your blood.
Rommel wouldn't be so conflicted about taking
your life. He had a lesson plan in store for the
Americans. It was one already familiar to both
the French and English.
* * * * *
OVER EASY
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